The general stereotype of Singaporeans is that they grab freebies like a bunch of low-class barbarians. Most of the time one sees people queuing up for free drinks or food or toys or movie tickets, etc, yet when it comes to enriching one's cultural tastes, not many people want anything to do with it even if the tickets are given away free.
My choral group is having a special Halloween concert this Sunday. Since the majority of us are not performing this time, each of us were given four complimentary tickets to ask / request / beg / coerce / force / threaten people to attend the concert so the seats can be filled up. The tickets are free, so why is it so hard to get people to go?
I managed to get K and my best friend to go (hmmmm..... maybe it is a good opportunity to bring the two of them together), but I still have one ticket left which I had no one else to give to. Out of desperation, I asked my best friend if she can bring any of her sisters and K also offered to help by asking around among his friends. In the end, my friend Addy agreed to go despite being such late notice, and for that I am really grateful to you. Thanks also to Sentosa for offering to help me ask around as well. :-)
As usual, it is my best friend, close friend and foreign friend I can really depend on (K is a Malaysian by the way). Or is it to do with the fact that all four of us are single? But why am I having such trouble giving away free tickets? My girlfriends are mostly from the same choral group so they are already going and the rest are either busy being good wives or preparing for their upcoming weddings. The other local guys I asked all shunned away as if I had the measles when I asked if they were interested in a free show.
In the past when I was attached, I always gave the free tickets to my ex and his parents would go with him. My first stage performance with my choral group was in March when we sang for the tenth anniversary concert. Each of us were given four complimentary tickets, so I gave all to my ex. He got his parents and his mum's friend to come along. However, there was a mistake in the ticket distribution so three seats were together and one was separated from the rest. Obviously his parents had to sit with their friend so my ex ended up sitting alone and his parents were unhappy because of that and could not enjoy the show thoroughly.
When I got the two complimentary tickets for the "Madame Butterfly" performance, I gave them to my ex and ordered two more tickets that cost more for my mum who brought my aunt to watch the performance. Before the performance when I was ordering the tickets, my ex's mum initially wanted a third ticket so the father could go, but in the end told me to just stick to two tickets, which was why I went ahead.
But when they got the tickets, his mum called and insisted on buying a third ticket, and the seat must be together as she did not want to leave the father behind. So I tried to explain to her that the tickets were bulked ordered by the Lyric Opera, so the seats were all confirmed, thus there was no way I could get a third ticket that would be together with the two seats.
So she said she wanted to sell the tickets back to SISTIC and buy three tickets together, to which I told her it was impossible to do that as the complimentary tickets were stamped with the words "Singapore Lyric Opera", thus it was impossible to exchange for fresh tickets. But she kept insisting she wanted three tickets when she already told me two would suffice, and for all three to sit together. I was trying to be nice but slowly losing my patience as well. In the end, my ex had to explain everything to her before she could finally accept.
Well, at least all turned out alright in the end. Although now when I have complimentary tickets, I will have a problem trying to find people to attend, but that is not for me to worry for now until the actual time comes.
My choral group is having a special Halloween concert this Sunday. Since the majority of us are not performing this time, each of us were given four complimentary tickets to ask / request / beg / coerce / force / threaten people to attend the concert so the seats can be filled up. The tickets are free, so why is it so hard to get people to go?
I managed to get K and my best friend to go (hmmmm..... maybe it is a good opportunity to bring the two of them together), but I still have one ticket left which I had no one else to give to. Out of desperation, I asked my best friend if she can bring any of her sisters and K also offered to help by asking around among his friends. In the end, my friend Addy agreed to go despite being such late notice, and for that I am really grateful to you. Thanks also to Sentosa for offering to help me ask around as well. :-)
As usual, it is my best friend, close friend and foreign friend I can really depend on (K is a Malaysian by the way). Or is it to do with the fact that all four of us are single? But why am I having such trouble giving away free tickets? My girlfriends are mostly from the same choral group so they are already going and the rest are either busy being good wives or preparing for their upcoming weddings. The other local guys I asked all shunned away as if I had the measles when I asked if they were interested in a free show.
In the past when I was attached, I always gave the free tickets to my ex and his parents would go with him. My first stage performance with my choral group was in March when we sang for the tenth anniversary concert. Each of us were given four complimentary tickets, so I gave all to my ex. He got his parents and his mum's friend to come along. However, there was a mistake in the ticket distribution so three seats were together and one was separated from the rest. Obviously his parents had to sit with their friend so my ex ended up sitting alone and his parents were unhappy because of that and could not enjoy the show thoroughly.
When I got the two complimentary tickets for the "Madame Butterfly" performance, I gave them to my ex and ordered two more tickets that cost more for my mum who brought my aunt to watch the performance. Before the performance when I was ordering the tickets, my ex's mum initially wanted a third ticket so the father could go, but in the end told me to just stick to two tickets, which was why I went ahead.
But when they got the tickets, his mum called and insisted on buying a third ticket, and the seat must be together as she did not want to leave the father behind. So I tried to explain to her that the tickets were bulked ordered by the Lyric Opera, so the seats were all confirmed, thus there was no way I could get a third ticket that would be together with the two seats.
So she said she wanted to sell the tickets back to SISTIC and buy three tickets together, to which I told her it was impossible to do that as the complimentary tickets were stamped with the words "Singapore Lyric Opera", thus it was impossible to exchange for fresh tickets. But she kept insisting she wanted three tickets when she already told me two would suffice, and for all three to sit together. I was trying to be nice but slowly losing my patience as well. In the end, my ex had to explain everything to her before she could finally accept.
Well, at least all turned out alright in the end. Although now when I have complimentary tickets, I will have a problem trying to find people to attend, but that is not for me to worry for now until the actual time comes.
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